The German wheelchair basketball players missed the gold final at the Paralympics.

In the semi-finals, the runner-up from Rio de Janeiro lost in Tokyo on Thursday in Tokyo 42:52 against world and European champions Netherlands 42:52 and is not in the Paralympics final for the first time since 2004.

"That hurts.

This defeat is very bitter, ”said national coach Dennis Nohl.

On Saturday it's about bronze against the loser in the USA against China.

For a long time the encounter was balanced.

Both defensive lines had the match largely under control.

In the fourth quarter, however, the Dutch women were more efficient.

In addition, the team of coach Nohl never got the outstanding player Mariska Beijer under control.

With 30 points, the Dutch woman was by far the best thrower and played a big part in the victory.

"The Netherlands are the best team in the world, but it wasn't so clear today," said Nohl.

For Germany, Katharina Lang (18 points) and flag bearer Mareike Miller (14) were once again the most accurate.

The men failed in the quarter-finals on Wednesday like in 2016 against Spain.

Roller coaster ride for table tennis duo

The table tennis duo Thomas Brüchle (45) and Thomas Schmidberger (29) narrowly missed the gold medal in the team competition at the Paralympics in Tokyo.

The top seeded Germans lost in the starting class three in the final after an emotional rollercoaster ride 1: 2 against China and, like in London and Rio, they took silver behind their long-term rivals.

Nevertheless, the German table tennis team finished the games with a decent result.

Valentin Baus won gold in the individual, and Schmidberger also contributed a silver medal in the individual.

Bronze went to Stephanie Grebe and the duo Björn Schnake and Thomas Rau.

For the German Disabled Sports Association (DBS), the medal in the team competition was the 34th overall in Japan.

In the final, a dramatic double gave Germany the lead. After leading the set 2-0, China was able to equalize again, but Brüchle / Schmidberger had better nerves in the fifth round. In the first individual, Brüchle had no chance in the 1: 3 against individual champion Feng Panfeng. In the playoff, Schmidberger broke in against Zhai Xiang after leading the set 2-0.